Having W2k boot up problems with GA8IHXP

[peterjedi]

I've built this compuer in Feb/04. For the last 3 to 4 months I have windows bootup issues. I sometimes get a blue screen message, Not less than equal screen dump. I would need to reboot my system. Now I don't even get this message. My computer would just hand at the W2K screeen. It would just sit there and do nothing. I am not sure if the cold weather has anything to do with it, since I leave my windows open. I am not sure if this is a motherboard issue, power supply, or Hard drive. I am pretty sure it is not the memory, because I took the memory for a machine that had been running for over a year without a problem.

My motherboard is GA8IHXP 3.0. It was sold to me as 3.0, but under Sandra SiSoftware it saids version 2.1, but it has the AC'97 sound, which is a GA8IHXP 3.0 feature.

My power supply is Antec TrueBlue 480.

My HD is HGST 120GB 8MB DeskStar GX180. The Model before 7K250. I ran the HGST Drive Fitness Test on the HD. It didn't report any errors.

My gut feeling is the motherboard, but if anyone has any ideas on debugging, please let me know.

I am running windows 2000 professional with SP 4. After 1 to 3 reboots, Once my system boots up it is pretty stable. I am using p4 3.06 chip. I am not using HT or overclocking. The system runs at 3.074 Mega Hertz.

My graphics card is ATI AIW 9800 pro. I am using Catalyst 4.11. I've removed the Catalyst Control Center, then replaced it with the normal control panel.

I am thinking about getting a PT533-C motherboard to replace my GA8IHXP.

Best regards,

Peter

 

[Crashman]

It sounds like either a failing power supply, failing RAM, or bad capacitors on the motherboard. You can usually find bad capacitors by visual inspection, as the usually bulge at the top or leak at the bottom (brownish goo) when they die.

<font color=blue>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to a hero as big as Crashman!</font color=blue>
<font color=red>Only a place as big as the internet could be home to an ego as large as Crashman's!</font color=red>

 

[peterjedi]

I found the problem. When I scaned for fragments, the whole disk was fragmented. After the defragmentation of the HD, my system has booted successfully for 20 days in a row.

I think the internet writes so much junk on my HD, that I need to defrag every 3-6 months.

-Peter